


Moving Forward (Reader Insert)

by Graveyard_Prince



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Eventual Fluff, Eventual Smut, Gen, Heartbreak, I'll update tags as I go, Just not with McCree probably, Mcree/reader (past), Not Beta Read, Other, Reader is G/N, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-01
Updated: 2017-10-31
Packaged: 2019-01-27 18:42:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,110
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12588188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Graveyard_Prince/pseuds/Graveyard_Prince
Summary: Before your lips could meet, Jesse's flesh hand gently covered your mouth; thus rebuffing the kiss. The look in his eyes was sad as he met your confused ones. There was a silence that stretched on between you for a few moments before he finally spoke.“Now's not the time,” He said, tearing his gaze from yours. “Let's get ya back to base. I know Angela will wan ta' take a look at ya.”And with that, Jesse was turning his back on you, leaving an awkward silence in his wake. You started to follow, testing out the strength in your legs and wondering what had just taken place.





	Moving Forward (Reader Insert)

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: So I found a suggestion on an OW prompt Tumblr and decided to take my own spin on the idea.The prompt: Reader and McCree had been in a relationship prior to the reader getting kidnapped on a mission. Reader is missing for years, unable to be found, so McCree believes reader to be dead. McCree moves on, unbeknownst to the reader, who is still alive.  
> Unbeta'd, written quickly. I have had this swirling in my head for DAYS and finally decided to do something about it.  
> I hope this isn't to OOC, most of what I know about these characters comes from the comic and fanfiction ;3;
> 
> I'm sorry, I've just got a terrible thirst for the cowboy and a soft spot for angst. Reader is gender neutral, but I head canon them as male.

Jesse McCree. 

He was mostly the same after all these years: the same hearty chuckle, same vibrant energy, same terrible cowboy jokes. And yet he had also changed since you had seen him last: his beard was scruffier, there were smile lines around his lips, and wisps of grey had started invading his soft brown hair. 

And yet you, you had remained unchanged. Five years had passed since you least met, and you'd aged not a day of those years. Cryostasis will do that, you supposed.  
Cryostasis. You couldn't believe you had been sleeping for five years. You were still reeling from the information. It was a lot to process. A lot of gaps in your memory to be filled. There were still blanks, but you had been filled in as much as possible. Some by McCree, some by Winston, and some by Angela in the med bay. 

On that fateful spring day five years ago, your then boyfriend Jesse were on a mission to infiltrate a Talon base. It seemed easy—sneak in, take out the security personnel, grab the info and go. You had done it before, you thought you knew what to expect.

You thought wrong. You hadn't expected an ambush. You hadn't expected to get separated from McCree and swarmed by Talon soldiers. From the soldier's cursing, you knew Jesse managed to escape, much to your relief. 

From there, things got blurry. You were taken to a lab and poked and prodded. Tested. Experimented on. You kept hoping Jesse would run in and rescue you from the torture, but of course he wasn't there. 

Now you knew why he never came.

Once they were done with you, you had been shoved into a cryo chamber for “future use.” Whatever that meant. Winston speculated that they had planned on reforming you as a super soldier for an upcoming Talon invasion, but but everything was just speculation at this point.

You were found when a small team of Overwatch Members were investigating an abandoned base. The team, including Jesse, were surprised to find an abandoned laboratory with several pods inside. 

Jesse, the first on the scene, began cracking open the cryo chambers. The first few he found were not lucky enough to wake up again from their sleep. When he opened your pod, his heart stopped. There you were, sleeping peacefully, unchanged and unaware of the chaos around you. He called your name, softly at first, as if speaking aloud might shatter you. 

No response.

He tried again, a little louder, and gently shook your shoulders. 

Still, no response. 

“No, no, darlin', don't do this to me,” he murmured, frantically, patting your cheeks. He tried shaking you again, speaking quite loudly now. “Y/N, wake up.” He didn't care about the stir he was causing. A few others gathered around the pods, hoping McCree would be able to wake you up. 

You slowly opened your eyes, blinking blearily at the flustered face in front of you. “J-Jesse?” You whispered, not quite believing your eyes. 

“Thank God yer alive!” McCree cried, pulling you out of the pod. “I was so scared, darlin'!” He held you close and gave you the tightest bear hug you'd ever had. 

“Don't break their ribs, please,” you heard Angela chide over McCree's shoulder. 

“Oh-sorry.” Jesse quickly released you from the tight hold. 

“No, don't stop,” you breathed, feeling elation bubble in your chest. Jesse was here, you were safe, he was holding you. You craned your neck up to reach his face and draw in to place an affectionate kiss on his lips. 

Before your lips could meet, Jesse's flesh hand gently covered your mouth; thus rebuffing the kiss. The look in his eyes was sad as he met your confused ones. There was a silence that stretched on between you for a few moments before he finally spoke. 

“Now's not the time,” He said, tearing his gaze from yours. “Let's get ya back to base. I know Angela will wan ta' take a look at ya.”

And with that, Jesse was turning his back on you, leaving an awkward silence in his wake. You started to follow, testing out the strength in your legs and wondering what had just taken place. 

~*~

Presently, you were in the med bay being poked and prodded by Angela. She'd run what felt like a million tests on you already, and you were starting to feel like a pin cushion. The kind doctor must have noticed your discomfort because she gave you a small smile. 

“Don't worry, Y/N. We're almost done,” she assured you with a squeeze to your shoulder. “I just want to make sure everything is in order after your prolonged rest.”

You nodded, waiting for her to finish. The sooner you were released, the sooner you could find Jesse and ask him what was going on. Why he pushed you away. Why there was a sadness in his eyes. Why he hadn't looked you in the eye since arriving at the base. 

There was a sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach as you pondered these questions and more. 

With a clean bill of health, you left Angela's care and went to seek McCree. You had questions that needed answering. And the longer you pondered them in silence, the more anxious you felt. 

You didn't need to search long; for on your way down the hall, you stumbled across two people having a conversation. One person was McCree; you'd know that voice anywhere. The other was a quiet male voice you didn't recognize. 

Feeling like you would be interrupting, you waited patiently for the two to finish their talk. You weren't trying to listen in, but at this distance it was inevitable. 

“I'm not sure how to break it to 'em yet, Han,” you heard Jesse say. “They just got back, an' I'm afraid adding this to all the information might be too much for 'em.”

Jesse and whoever this 'Han' person was, they were talking about you. 

“I understand,” came the other voice, the one you supposed was 'Han.' “But delaying the inevitable will make it all the harder for them. Best to be upfront with them.”

You hear McCree let out a resigned sigh. “You're right, Han. You're always right.”

You chose this time to round the corner, ignoring the sinking feeling in your stomach. Whatever Jesse had to tell you, it wasn't good news. “Hey guys,” you greeted with a smile for both of them. You nodded to the 'Han' person, who turned out to be a surly-looking Japanese man with an intricate dragon tattoo on his left arm. 

The two men startled and turned to you, obviously not expecting company. 

“Howdy, Y/N,” Jesse offered with a smile that was just a little too wide to be natural. 

The other man gave you a nod in greeting and turned his attention back to Jesse. “I'll give you some privacy.” 

You didn't miss the affectionate squeeze he gave Jesse's shoulder before he left. The sinking feeling in your stomach got worse. 

“'Preciate it.” Jesse gave him a smile before addressing you. The weary look in his eyes had returned. He scratched his beard with his flesh hand; a habit he had when he was nervous. He sighed again, clearly struggling to begin the conversation. 

Smooth talking Jesse McCree at a loss for words? You know this had to be bad. 

Wanting to alleviate the anxiety bubbling within, you threw him a bone. “You need to talk to me, Jess?”

He gave you a thankful look before nodding. “Yeah... we uh, we have a lot to talk about. Why don't we go talk somewhere more private?” He suggests, pointing to your room down the hall. 

“That's fine with me,” you chirp, trying and failing to keep the mood light. 

~*~

Everything in your old room was untouched. Despite the layer of dust coating the furniture, it was as though you had never left. The sight gave you mixed emotions. “Well, come in,” you offer, gesturing for Jesse to follow you into the room. “Pardon the mess, I wasn't expecting company.” 

Jesse gives a weak chuckle at your joke. 

You gesture for him to make himself comfortable in your room. He takes a seat on your desk chair while you plop down on your bed. 

There's another beat of silence between you, which you decide to break once more. 

“I'm guessing you want to talk about our kiss? Or... lack thereof?” You offer weakly, going straight for the crux of the matter. 

Jesse scratches his beard again. “Yeah. About that, sweet-pea,” he begins, throwing out the nickname he only used when he was about to upset you, “we can't be doin' that anymore.”

A cold wave runs through you and you wait for him to elaborate. You're pretty sure you knew where this conversation was heading, but you needed to hear the words. To hear them from his own lips. 

“I reckon my boyfriend would be mighty upset with me if we were to do that,” He adds, eyes drifting to the carpet. His must have found something incredibly interesting to look at down there; the way his eyes lingered. 

There it was. The news you had been waiting for. 

You swallowed the bile in your throat and offered him the best smile you could manage. It was flimsy and terrible, but it was all you had to offer. “I take it that 'Han' is your boyfriend?”

Jesse's eyes widen when they meet yours; then he flushes when he realizes the meaning of your words. “Heard that, did ya?”

You nod. “I take it this was the news you wanted to break to me?” Your voice was quiet; it was hard to speak. 

“It is,” Jess confirmed, looking no less uncomfortable now that the cat was out of the bag. He looked into your eyes and could see the hurt in them. They were watery, with tears threatening to spill out. 

But you wouldn't let them. Jesse recognized the familiar stubbornness in your eyes, the determination that he loved. 

“Well, congratulations,” you mumble, not sure what else to say. 

Another beard scratch. “Look... I'm sorry, Y/N. This is not how I wanted you to find out. I never thought I'd be in the position to break this news to ya.” He reached out and squeezed your hand. “You were gone five years. We all thought Talon had killed ya.” He swallowed nervously, and you watched his adam's apple bob. “I spoke at yer funeral.”

With a shaking hand, you reached up to touch Jesse's cheek. The gesture seemed to surprise him.

“I don't blame you for moving on, Jesse,” you managed, stroking his cheek. “I was gone for years—who wouldn't think I was dead?” You gave him your best smile, knowing he needed the acceptance from you. He needed to hear this. As much as it it hurt you, you knew you had to let him know it was okay. For his sake. 

Time kept moving for him. And he had moved forward, with out you. 

“I'm so sorry,” He breathed, letting out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. 

You kept rubbing your thumb over his cheek in soothing circles. “Don't be. I'm so glad you were able to find someone to make you happy again. To make you smile.”  
Jesse wrapped you in a hug; obviously relieved at your reaction. The action felt awkward and foreign now, but you squeezed him back despite the tension. 

“Thank you.”

There would be a lot more awkward interactions in the future, until your heart caught up with the present. Until you re-learned the boundaries of friendship.

It was you who broke the embrace. Before Jesse felt you shaking. “Hey, no need to thank me. I mean, we can still be friends and hang out, right?”

Jesse nodded, a small but genuine smile gracing his lips. “ O'course. Who else is going to cause trouble with me?”

You returned the smile. “Of course.”

After a few minutes more of talking, Jesse excused himself, saying that it was late and he was sure you were probably tired. 

You accept the excuse gratefully, and see him out. You give him a pat on the back instead of the usual hug or kiss that you remember exchanging. It was again, foreign and uncomfortable. It made you feel lonely. But you couldn't do that anymore. 

“Goodnight, Y/N. Sleep well.”

“Goodnight, Jesse.” 

“Welcome home,” he adds softly.

“I 'm happy to be home.” You watch him leave, only closing the door when he disappeared from sight.

**Author's Note:**

> It's gonna hurt a lot before it gets better  
> I hope you all enjoyed it? I'm typing chapter two as we speak, so that should *hopefully* be out in a few days c: In the mean time, feel free to comment! I love hearing your thoughts! <3 Comments and kudos always appreciated!


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